The walkback of President Joe Biden’s seeming endorsement of regime change in Russia is drawing more criticism than the original statement.
Biden went off-script on Saturday by saying Russian President Vladimir Putin “cannot remain in power.” White House officials quickly told reporters Biden was not calling for regime change as Russian forces under Putin’s command face tougher-than-expected fighting in Ukraine, an independent nation to the south.
Rep. Adam Kinzinger, who sits on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, told the Washington Examiner he agrees with Biden’s candid remark, arguing the retraction should not have been made.
BLINKEN CONTINUES CLEANUP OF BIDEN’S PUTIN ‘CANNOT REMAIN IN POWER’ REMARK
“I’m glad he said it. He never said we would do it, but that in essence he’s not legitimate and I agree,” he said. “But if I was president and the White House corrected me like that, I’d fire the whole team.”
Rep. Michael Waltz expressed concerns the reversal could have more implications than the initial comments, arguing inconsistent rhetoric could make the United States look weaker as it looks to pressure Russia into ceasing the war.
“It could actually backfire to make Putin stronger internally,” Waltz said. “The commander in chief has to be credible. This kind of flip-flopping, he says one thing, and then the White House has to clean it up, damages his credibility.”
Rep. Mark Green, a retired U.S. Army major, said Biden’s remark was ill-advised and that the possible repercussions should have been known before being voiced on the world stage.
“We cannot afford for President Biden to continue his gaffe-ridden communication as we face potential threats from Putin’s aggression,” the Tennessee Republican told the Washington Examiner. “Mr. President, have you ever heard the phrase, ‘Think before you speak?’ It would really come in handy in keeping global peace.”
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Rep. Don Bacon, a retired Air Force officer, echoed Green’s sentiment.
“President Biden has become a rapid-fire gaffe machine,” Bacon said. “It hurts with our allies and gives fodder to Putin. He needs better communications discipline or he has to stay on script.”
Rep. Ro Khanna said he does not believe Biden’s remarks were intended to be a call for a regime change but rather an expression of his frustrations with Putin’s abuses against the Ukrainian people.
“There’s no support in the Congress, certainly among Democrats, for a policy of regime change. Many of us have been opposed to regime change policy in this country over the last 20 years,” Khanna, a California Democrat, said in an interview with Democracy Now.
